Juvenile records are: 

• Police reports,
• Computer database entries, and
• Court documents.

The records are created when a person under age 18 is accused of a crime. This includes any contact with police. This includes at school, while driving, or if someone fills out a police report against you. Though juvenile records are confidential, the police department must release information to the person about their own arrests. 

If you were arrested or had police contact before your 18th birthday, you likely have a record. You could qualify to expunge it. You must know the date of arrest, the charge, and the outcome of the arrest to get it expunged.

Automatic expungement

Police expunge all law enforcement records occurring before an 18th birthday if:

• It has been 1 year or more since the date of the arrest or law enforcement interaction,
• No petition for delinquency or criminal charges was filed with the court,
• It has been 6 months without an additional arrest or filing of a petition for delinquency or criminal charges, and
• The record was created after January 1, 2000.

See this list of charges that are not eligible for automatic expungement, but may be expunged through a form. This is the Request for Juvenile Record Expungement.

Note: The law requiring the Illinois State Police to expunge old records became effective in 2018. Records made after January 1, 2013, are required to be expunged by December 31, 2019. Records made between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2012, are required to be expunged by December 31, 2023.

What if I have an adult record, too?

Having a juvenile record does not change your eligibility to expunge your adult arrest or court record. Criminal records come from cases that are handled in adult court. See adult criminal record expungement for details. 

How young do you have to be for a record to be juvenile?

Before 2010, prosecutions as an adult started at 17 years of age. However, after 2010, prosecutions as an adult begin at 18 years of age. Depending on how old you were and the year you were arrested, you may have either an adult or a juvenile record.